Pneumatic valve/pressure vessel subcomponent with bayonet retention feature

ABSTRACT

A valve assembly including a fastener-less subcomponent. Installation of the subcomponent is simplified as compared to cover plates utilizing fasteners, while still providing suitable performance. In addition, the fastener-less subcomponent is not readily disassembled with common tools thereby discouraging tampering. The subcomponent includes bayonet style features for interlocking with structure of a valve housing to lock the subcomponent in position.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENTS AND APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of currently pending U.S.patent application Ser. No. 16/217,082, filed on Dec. 12, 2018, whichapplication is hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

The present exemplary embodiments relate to subcomponents for complexassemblies and, more particularly, subcomponents for valves and otherdevices. However, it is to be appreciated that the present exemplaryembodiment is also amenable to other like applications.

Typical relay valves generally comprise a main valve housing or bodyhaving a chamber for supporting one or more pistons and/or springs,valve members, and/or other valve components. The main housing alsotypically includes several ports for connecting the chamber to and frompressure supply lines.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary prior art relay valve 10 having a valvebody 12 with a number of ports 14. The valve body 12 defines an interiorchamber in which is supported various valve components (pistons, valvemembers, springs, etc.), which are not shown in FIG. 1. The internalchamber is closed by cover plate 16 which is secured to the valve body12 by four bolts 18.

Assembly of the prior art relay valve 10 is generally performed byinstalling the valve components into the valve body 12 and subsequentlyenclosing the internal chamber with the cover plate 16 by installing andtorqueing bolts 18 to a specified torque setting. As the interiorchamber of the relay valve 10 is pressurized, the cover plate 16 andbolts 18 are designed so as to be able to accommodate typical pressuresexperienced within the internal chamber of the relay valve 10. To thisend, it will be understood that the selection of and the installation(e.g., torqueing) of bolts 18 is critical to maintain a sealed internalchamber throughout the range of working pressures.

While prior art relay valves have provided suitable performance,assembly of such valves and, in particular, the mounting and securing ofthe cover plate 16 to the valve body 12 in a suitable manner to ensureproper performance, is tedious as it requires handling multiplecomponents (bolts, washers, etc.) and torqueing the fasteners tospecification.

In other situations, snap ring retainers are used to retainsubcomponents within a valve housing. For example, some valves include adouble check valve that is typically supported by a check valve bodyinserted into an opening in the valve housing. The check valve body isconfigured to be received in the opening, and a snap ring retainer isthen installed into a groove in the housing within the opening to retainthe check valve body in position. While snap ring retainers providesuitable performance, the snap ring retainer can also be tedious toinstall and it can be difficult to verify proper installation/seating ofthe snap ring retainer within the groove. In addition, the groove forthe snap ring typically must be precisely machined to provide suitableperformance.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure sets forth a fastener-less subcomponent that canbe integrated into an assembly without the need for additional hardwareand fastener technologies to retain the subcomponent in the assembly.The fastener-less subcomponent includes a bayonet retention feature thatfully constrains the subcomponent radially, axially and rotationallywithin the assembly. Installation or assembly of a subcomponent inaccordance with the present disclosure to an assembly is simplified ascompared to prior art designs utilizing fasteners, while still providingsuitable performance. In addition, the fastener-less valve cover plateassembly is not readily disassembled with common tools therebydiscouraging tampering.

In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure a cover plateassembly for a closing a pressure chamber of a valve assembly comprisesa housing having a central aperture and a plurality of circumferentiallyspaced retention flanges surrounding the aperture, each retention flangeextending in an axial direction and having a slot opening radiallyinwardly, and a cover having a central portion for covering the apertureand at least one anti-rotation feature adapted to engage an adjacentretention flange when the cover is rotated from an unlocked position toa locked position to restrict return rotation of the cover to theunlocked position.

The assembly can include a reinforcement member rotational interlockedwith the cover. At least a portion of the reinforcement member can bereceived in the slot of each retention flange when the cover is in thelocked position thereby restricting axial movement of the cover relativeto the housing, and the anti-rotation feature secures the cover and thereinforcement member in the locked position by restricting rotation ofthe cover to the unlocked position when the anti-rotation feature isengaged with the adjacent retention flange.

The anti-rotation feature can include a cantilevered arm extending inspaced relation to an outer circumferential edge of the central portionof the cover, the cantilevered arm adapted to resilient deflect radiallyinwardly when the cover is rotated from the unlocked position to thelocked position as the distal end of the cantilevered arm impinges on afirst side surface of the adjacent retention flange, and to return to anundeflected state when the distal end of the cantilevered arm is rotatedpast the adjacent retention flange such that the distal end engages anopposite side surface of the adjacent retention flange in the lockedposition. The distal end of the cantilevered arm can include a barb. Atleast one of the distal end of the cantilevered arm or the first sidesurface of the adjacent retention flange can include a sloped surfacehaving an angle to assist in urging the cantilevered arm radiallyinwardly. The reinforcement member can include a reinforcement platehaving a plurality of lobes extending radially outwardly from a centralportion of the reinforcement plate, the plurality of lobes adapted toextend radially outwardly in between adjacent retention flanges when thecover is in the unlocked position, and to be received in respectiveslots of the retention flanges when the cover is in the locked position.A lobe of the reinforcement plate can be angularly aligned andcoextensive with a major portion of the at least one anti-rotationfeature such that the lobe and the at least one anti-rotation featureare received in the slot of a common retention flange in the lockedposition. The cover can include a stop surface adapted to engage asurface of the housing when the assembly is in the locked position torestrict further rotation of the assembly beyond the locked position. Asealing element can be disposed between the cover and the housing forsealing the pressure chamber. The housing can include an annular groovesurrounding the aperture, the sealing element being received in theannular groove. The reinforcement member can be integral with the cover.

In accordance with another aspect, a valve assembly comprises a valvehousing having an internal chamber, the valve housing having a centralaperture in communication with the internal chamber and a plurality ofcircumferentially spaced retention flanges surrounding the aperture,each retention flange extending in an axial direction and having a slotopening radially inwardly, and a cover having a central portion forcovering the aperture and at least one anti-rotation feature adapted toengage an adjacent retention flange when the cover is rotated from anunlocked position to a locked position to restrict return rotation ofthe cover to the unlocked position.

The assembly can further include a reinforcement member rotationalinterlocked with the cover. At least a portion of the reinforcementmember can be received in the slot of each retention flange when thecover is in the locked position thereby restricting axial movement ofthe cover relative to the housing, and the anti-rotation feature securesthe cover and the reinforcement member in the locked position byrestricting rotation of the cover to the unlocked position when theanti-rotation feature is engaged with the adjacent retention flange.

According to another aspect, a method of assembling a cover plateassembly for a closing a pressure chamber of a valve assembly comprisesproviding a housing having a central aperture and a plurality ofcircumferentially spaced retention flanges surrounding the aperture,each retention flange extending in an axial direction and having a slotopening radially inwardly, providing a cover having a central portionfor covering the aperture and at least one anti-rotation feature adaptedto engage an adjacent retention flange when the cover is rotated from anunlocked position to a locked position to restrict return rotation ofthe cover to the unlocked position, nesting the cover in the housing ina first orientation, and rotating the cover to a second orientation.

The method can further include providing a reinforcement memberrotational interlocked with the cover, where at least a portion of thereinforcement member is received in the slot of each retention flangethereby restricting axial movement of the cover relative to the housingand the anti-rotation feature secures the cover and the reinforcementmember in the second position by restricting rotation of the cover tothe first position.

In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, a coverplate assembly for closing a pressure chamber of a valve assemblycomprises a housing having a central aperture, a cover having a centralportion for covering the aperture, a reinforcement member rotationalinterlocked with the cover, and a fastener-less coupling means forrestricting axial and rotational movement of the cover relative to thehousing.

In accordance with yet another aspect, a valve assembly comprises avalve housing having an internal chamber, the valve housing having anaperture opening to an exterior of the housing in communication with theinternal chamber and a plurality of circumferentially spaced retentionflanges surrounding the aperture, each retention flange at leastpartially defining a radially inwardly opening slot, and a subcomponentadapted to be received in the aperture, the subcomponent having a bodyinsertable axially into the aperture and rotatable from an unlockedposition to a locked position. The subcomponent includes at least oneanti-rotation component adapted to engage an adjacent retention flangein the locked position to restrict return rotation of the cover to theunlocked position.

The body can further comprise a plurality of radially outwardlyextending lobes, the plurality of lobes adapted to extend radiallyoutwardly in between adjacent retention flanges when the body is in theunlocked position, and to be received in respective slots of theretention flanges when the cover is in the locked position therebyrestricting axial movement of the body relative to the valve housing,whereby the at least one anti-rotation component secures the body in thelocked position by restricting rotation of the body to the unlockedposition when the at least one anti-rotation component is engaged withthe adjacent retention flange. The at least one anti-rotation componentcan include a cantilevered arm extending in tangential fashion from aradially inner portion of a respective lobe, the cantilevered armadapted to resiliently deflect radially inwardly when the body isrotated from the unlocked position to the locked position as the distalend of the cantilevered arm impinges on a first side of the adjacentretention flange, and to return to an undeflected state when the distalend of the cantilevered arm is rotated past the adjacent retentionflange such that the distal end engages an opposite side surface of theadjacent retention flange in the locked position. The distal end of thecantilevered arm can include an angled flat for engaging the oppositeside surface of the adjacent retention flange, wherein the opposite sidesurface has a corresponding angle such that the angled flat canabuttingly engage the opposite side surface. The distal end of thecantilevered arm or the first side surface of the adjacent retentionflange can include a sloped surface having an angle to assist in urgingthe cantilevered arm radially inwardly. The distal end of thecantilevered arm can be aligned with a circumferential extent of theplurality of lobes when in an unflexed state. The distal end of thecantilevered arm can be closer to an adjacent lobe than the lobe fromwhich the cantilevered arm extends. The body can further comprise a stopsurface adapted to engage a surface of the valve housing when the bodyis in the locked position to restrict further rotation of the bodybeyond the locked position. The body can be a unitary one-piecestructure and can support a sealing element. The subcomponent caninclude a double check valve.

In accordance with another aspect, a subcomponent is disclosed for anassociated valve assembly having a housing with an aperture opening toan exterior thereof and a plurality of retention flanges adjacent theaperture. The subcomponent comprises a body insertable axially into theaperture of the associated valve assembly and rotatable from an unlockedposition to a locked position. The subcomponent includes at least oneanti-rotation component adapted to engage an adjacent retention flangeof the associated valve assembly in the locked position to restrictreturn rotation of the body to the unlocked position.

The body can further comprise a plurality of radially outwardlyextending lobes, the plurality of lobes adapted to extend radiallyoutwardly in between adjacent retention flanges of the associated valveassembly when the body is axially inserted into the aperture in theunlocked position, and to be received in respective radially inwardlyopening slots of the retention flanges of the associated valve assemblywhen the body is in the locked position thereby restricting axialmovement of the body relative to the housing of the associated valveassembly. The at least one anti-rotation component includes acantilevered arm extending in tangential fashion from a radially innerportion of a respective lobe, the cantilevered arm adapted toresiliently deflect radially inwardly when the body is rotated from theunlocked position to the locked position as the distal end of thecantilevered arm impinges on a first side of an adjacent retentionflange of the associated valve assembly, and to return to an undeflectedstate when the distal end of the cantilevered arm is rotated past theadjacent retention flange of the associated valve assembly such that thedistal end engages an opposite side surface of the adjacent retentionflange in the locked position. The distal end of the cantilevered armcan include an angled flat. The distal end of the cantilevered arm canbe aligned with an outer circumferential extent of the plurality oflobes when in an unflexed state. The distal end of the cantilevered armcan be closer to an adjacent lobe than the lobe from which thecantilevered arm extends. The body can further include a stop surfaceadapted to engage a surface of the housing of the associated valveassembly when the body is in the locked position to restrict furtherrotation of the body beyond the locked position. The body can be aunitary one-piece structure, and the subcomponent can include a doublecheck valve.

In accordance with still yet another aspect, a method of assembling avalve assembly comprises providing a valve housing having an internalchamber, the valve housing having an aperture opening to an exterior ofthe housing in communication with the internal chamber and a pluralityof circumferentially spaced retention flanges surrounding the aperture,each retention flange at least partially defining a radially inwardlyopening slot, providing a subcomponent adapted to be received in theaperture, the subcomponent having a body insertable axially into theaperture and rotatable from an unlocked position to a locked position,nesting the subcomponent in the housing in a first orientationcorresponding to an unlocked position, and rotating the cover to asecond orientation corresponding to a locked position. The subcomponentincludes at least one anti-rotation feature adapted to engage anadjacent retention flange in the locked position to restrict returnrotation of the cover to the unlocked position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a prior art relay valve;

FIG. 2 is a perspective exploded view of a valve cover plate assembly ofa valve in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the exemplary valve cover plate assemblyin a locked position;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the exemplary valve cover plate assembly in alocked position;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the exemplary valve cover plateassembly taken through line 5-5 in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of the exemplary valve cover plateassembly in a locked position;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a reinforcement plate of the valve coverplate assembly;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a cover of the valve cover plateassembly;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a housing of the valve cover plateassembly;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the reinforcement plate and cover priorto rotational interlock;

FIG. 11 is a side elevational view of the reinforcement plate and coverof FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a side elevational view of the reinforcement plate and coverrotationally interlocked;

FIG. 13 is an enlarged portion of FIG. 10;

FIG. 14 is a side elevational view of the exemplary valve cover plateassembly in an unlocked position;

FIG. 15 is a plan view of the exemplary valve cover plate assembly in anunlocked position;

FIG. 16 is an enlarged portion of FIG. 15;

FIG. 17 is a side elevational view of the exemplary valve cover plateassembly in a locked position;

FIG. 18 is a plan view of the exemplary valve cover plate assembly in anunlocked position;

FIG. 19 is an enlarged portion of FIG. 18;

FIG. 20 is an enlarged portion of FIG. 5;

FIG. 21 is a perspective view of another exemplary valve cover plateassembly in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 22 is a cross-sectional view of a valve including another exemplaryvalve cover plate assembly in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 23 is a perspective view of the valve cover plate assembly of FIG.22;

FIG. 24 is a perspective view of a valve including a valve cover plateassembly and a protective cap;

FIG. 25 is an exploded view of an exemplary valve assembly in accordancewith the present disclosure;

FIG. 26 is a top perspective view of a subcomponent of the valveassembly of FIG. 25;

FIG. 27 is a bottom perspective view of a subcomponent of the valveassembly of FIG. 25;

FIG. 28 is a plan view of the subcomponent of FIGS. 26 and 27;

FIG. 29 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A in FIG. 28;

FIG. 30 is a plan view of a housing of the valve assembly of FIG. 25;

FIG. 31 is a plan view of the valve assembly with the subcomponent in anunlocked position;

FIG. 32 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B in FIG. 31;

FIG. 33 is a plan view of the valve assembly with the subcomponent in alocked position; and,

FIG. 34 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line C-C in FIG. 33.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Turning now to the drawings in detail and initially to FIG. 2, anexemplary valve 19 having a valve cover plate assembly 20 in accordancewith the present disclosure is illustrated. The valve cover plateassembly 20 generally comprises three components—a housing 22, a cover24 and a reinforcement plate 26. In FIG. 2, the valve cover plateassembly 20 is illustrated integrated into a valve housing 21, but inthe following figures the housing 21 is omitted for clarity. It shouldbe appreciated, and will become readily apparent from the followingdisclosure, that the valve cover plate assembly 20 can be used toenclose an internal pressure chamber of a wide variety of relay valves.In addition, the valve cover plate assembly 20 can be used in a widerange of applications for enclosing internal pressure chambers of othertypes of valves and devices. As such, although the valve cover plateassembly 20 is shown and described in the present disclosure inconnection with a relay valve, it will be appreciated that the valvecover plate assembly 20 is not limited to relay valve applications.

With additional reference to FIGS. 3-6, which all show the valve coverplate assembly 20 in an installed configuration (i.e. a lockedposition), it can be seen that the three components of the valve coverplate assembly 20 cooperate to restrict rotation about central axis A aswell as to restrict axial movement along the central axis A. Centralaxis A extends along the axial direction of the valve cover plateassembly 20. As such, the terms “radial”, “circumferential”, and othersuch terminology are to be understood to be in relation to central axisA.

While the complete details of each of the housing 22, cover 24 andreinforcement plate 26 will be described below, it should be appreciatedat this point that the basic assembly of the components includesrotationally interlocking the reinforcement plate 26 to the cover 24,inserting (e.g., nesting) both components into the housing 22 in anunlocked position, and rotating both components from the unlockedposition to the locked position shown in FIGS. 3-6. In the lockedposition, a rotation lock feature of the cover 24 prevents rotation ofthe cover 24 and plate 26 relative to the housing 22, while portions ofthe reinforcement plate 26 are trapped by a plurality of retentionflanges of the housing 22 thereby restricting axial displacement of thereinforcement plate 26 relative to the housing 22.

With this understanding of the basic features and operation of the valvecover plate assembly 20 in mind, the details of the rotation lockfeature as well as the manner in which axial displacement of the cover24 and reinforcement plate 26 is restricted will be described.

In FIG. 7, the reinforcement plate 26 is illustrated. The reinforcementplate 26 generally comprises a planar body 30 which is typically made ofmetal, carbon fiber or any other suitable reinforcement material. Inmost applications, metal is a suitable material for the reinforcementplate, but any material capable of providing sufficient reinforcement tothe cover 24 can be used. In some applications, the reinforcement plate26 can be a stamped metal component. Although the illustratedreinforcement plate 26 is planar, in some applications reinforcementstructures (e.g., ribs) can be provided on one or more surfaces of thereinforcement plate 26 to further enhance its strength/rigidity. In someexamples, the reinforcement plate can be integral with the cover (e.g.,reinforcement member overmolded with cover).

The planar body 30 has a generally cylindrical shape with a contouredouter peripheral edge 32. The various protrusions and recesses of thecontoured edge 32 cooperate with certain features of both the housing 22and the cover 24 to both rotationally and axially interlock thereinforcement plate 26 with the housing 22. To this end, the planar body30 includes a first set of three radially outwardly extending lobes 34.Each of the lobes 34 have a generally smooth radially outercircumferential surface and are spaced approximately 120° apart fromeach other. A second set of three radially outwardly extending lobes 36are positioned between lobes 34. Lobes 36 are spaced approximately 120°from each other and, unlike lobes 34, have a recess 38 in a radiallyouter surface thereof. Although three lobes 34 and three lobes 36 areshown, certain applications can have fewer or more lobes as desired.

FIG. 8 illustrates the cover 24. The cover 24 is typically made ofplastic or other composite material, such as through a molding process.The cover 24 generally comprises a generally circular central planarbody portion 50 having a circumferential outer edge 51. Extending fromthe central planar body 50 are three snap arms 52 (e.g., anti-rotationfeatures). Each snap arm 52 includes a base portion 54 that extendsradially outwardly from the circumferentially outer surface 51 of thecentral planar body portion 50 and a cantilevered arm that extendscircumferentially from the base portion 54 in spaced apart fashion fromthe circumferentially outer surface 51 of the central planar bodyportion 50. A distal end of the cantilevered arm 56 of each snap arm 52includes a barb 58. The distal ends of the snap arms 52 are configuredto resiliently deflect radially inwardly during installation, as will bedescribed below.

Between each of the snap arms 52 are radially outwardly extendingflanges 60 that extend beyond the circumferential outer surface 51 ofthe planar body portion 50. Each flange 60 includes a protrusion 62extending axially from the flange 60. The protrusion 62 in theillustrated embodiment has a general u-shape opening to an outercircumferential side of the cover 24. When the valve cover plateassembly 20 is assembled, the protrusions 62 are configured to interlockwith recesses 38 in the reinforcement plate 26 to rationally interlockthe components together.

Turning to FIG. 9, the housing 22 is illustrated. The housing 22 has agenerally annular body 70 and is typically composed of a rigid materialsuch as aluminum or other metal alloy, etc. Although in the illustratedembodiment the annular body 70 is shown as a separate componentmountable to a valve housing, it will be appreciated that the annularbody 70 may typically be formed integrally with a portion of a valve(e.g., a valve housing). The annular body 70 has a central opening oraperture 72 which, of course, is closed by the cover 24 andreinforcement plate 26 as shown in FIGS. 2-6.

Extending axially from a peripheral edge portion of the annular body 70are a plurality of circumferentially spaced retention flanges 74. Eachretention flange 74 has an axially extending base portion 76 and aradially inwardly extending flange portion 78 together defining a slot79 opening radially inwardly (e.g., towards the center of the aperture72). When the valve cover plate assembly 20 is assembled in the lockedposition, the slots 79 of the retention flanges 74 are configured toreceive respective lobes 34 and 36 of the reinforcement plate 22 torestrict axial movement of the reinforcement plate 26 and cover 24,while each snap arm 52 of the cover 24 engages a side surface of arespective adjacent retention flange 74 to restrict rotation of thecover 24 and the reinforcement plate 26 from the locked position.

With reference now to FIGS. 10-19, the assembly of the valve cover plateassembly 20 will be described. With initial reference to FIGS. 10-13, itcan be seen that the reinforcement plate 26 is coupled with the cover 24such that protrusions 62 extend into recesses 38 thereby rotationallyinterlocking the reinforcement plate 26 with the cover 24. Coupling thecover 24 and reinforcement plate 26 in this manner is generallyperformed by bringing the components together along the central axis A.In some embodiments, one or more retention features can be provided totemporarily couple and retain the reinforcement plate 26 with the cover24 prior to final assembly with the housing 22.

Once the reinforcement plate 26 and cover 24 are brought together to theposition shown in FIG. 12, the combined components can then bepositioned relative to the housing 22 and rotationally oriented suchthat each of the lobes 34 and the lobes 36 are received betweenrespective adjacent retention flanges 74 of the housing 22. Orientingthe combined cover 24 and reinforcement plate 26 in this fashion permitsthe reinforcement plate 26 and cover 24 to be fully axially seated(e.g., nested) against the annular body 70 of the housing 22, forexample, as shown in FIGS. 14-16. This position is referred to herein asthe unlocked position.

In the unlocked position, the angular orientation of the cover 24 issuch that the barb 58 of each snap arm 52 is in a position whereclockwise rotation of the combined cover 24 and reinforcement plate 26causes a leading edge of the barb 58 to impinge upon a ramped surface 82of an adjacent retention flange 74 (see FIG. 16) resulting in a radiallyinward deflection of the cantilevered arm 56. Each of the six retentionflanges 74 include a ramped side surface 82 such that regardless of theorientations of the combined cover 24 and reinforcement plate 26 whennested, each of the three snap arms 52 will be positioned adjacent aramped surface 82 of an adjacent retention flange 74.

Continued clockwise rotation of the combined cover 24 and reinforcementplate 26 causes the barb 58 of each snap arm 52 to rotate past itsadjacent retention flange 74 such that the cantilevered arm 56 is nolonger urged radially inwardly and returns to its relaxed state. Thisposition is referred to herein as the locked position. In the lockedposition, barb 58 of each snap arm 52 engages an opposite side surface84 of its adjacent retention flange 74 (see FIG. 19) thereby restrictingreturn rotation of the combined cover 24 and reinforcement plate 26(e.g., counterclockwise rotation).

It should be appreciated that once the combined cover 24 andreinforcement plate 26 is rotated to the locked position of FIGS. 17-19,continued clockwise rotation of the combined cover 24 and reinforcementplate 26 is prevented by a stop surface 86 (see FIG. 8) of each flange60 of the cover 24. Accordingly, the combined cover 24 and reinforcementplate 26 is restricted from rotating in either of the clockwise orcounterclockwise directions from the locked position. Further, the lobes34 and 36 of the reinforcement plate 26 are trapped in slots 79 of theretention flanges 74 such that axial displacement of the reinforcementplate 26 and/or cover 24 is restricted. In the locked position, the snaparms 52 are largely concealed by their adjacent retention flanges 74. Assuch, the snap arms 52 are protected by the retention flanges fromimpact/damage and/or dislodging.

Various features can be provided to facilitate rotation of the combinedcover 24 and reinforcement plate 26 from/between the unlocked and lockedpositions. In the illustrated embodiment, three notches 88 are providedin the reinforcement plate 26. The notches 88 are configured to beengaged with a tool that is designed to facilitate rotation of thereinforcement plate 26 from both the locked position shown in FIGS.17-19 (e.g., during disassembly) as well as from the unlocked positionshown in FIGS. 14-16 (e.g., during assembly). It will be appreciatedthat other features could be provided as desired such as a non-circularcross-sectional shape protrusion on the reinforcement plate 26 or otherstructure to facilitate applying sufficient torque to the reinforcementplate 26 to move between the locked and unlocked positions.

It should be noted that once assembled, the valve cover plate assembly20 is not readily disassembled without the use of the specialized toolconfigured to engage the reinforcement plate 26 to facilitatecounterclockwise rotation. This feature discourages tampering and/orunauthorized disassembly. To this end, the amount of force required torotate the reinforcement plate 26 from the locked position to theunlocked position to allow removal of the cover 24 and reinforcementplate 26 from the housing 22 is at least in part a function of the shapeand/or size of the barbs 58 of the snap arms 52. For example, theillustrated barbs 58 have a relatively sharp angle that is not easilydislodged from the side surface of the retention flange 74. As such, asignificant torque must be applied in the counterclockwise directionbefore the barb 58 will dislodge. A shallower angle barb, or a smallerbarb, could be used to decrease the amount of torque required to rotatethe cover 24 and reinforcement plate 26 to the unlocked position. Insome embodiments, the barb 58 can be configured to break off from theplanar body 50 during disassembly such that the valve cover plateassembly 20 cannot be reused without a replacement cover 24.

FIG. 20 shows a close-up cross-sectional view of an exemplary snap arm52 engaged with a respective retention flange 74 of the housing 22. Itshould be understood that the axial thickness of the snap arm 52 isslightly less than the axial thickness of the central portion 50 of thecover 24 such that clearance C1 and C2 exist between the snap arm 52 andthe housing 22 within the slot 79 on both axial sides of the snap arm52. As such, the snap arm 52 can deflect radially inwardly, as describedabove, free of any interference by the housing 22. This feature allowsfor a smooth installation as the cover 24 is rotated from the unlockedposition to the locked position. It should also be appreciated that alower side wall SW of the slot 79 is sloped downwardly to shed moisture.Also shown in FIG. 20 is a sealing element 90 trapped in an annulargroove 92 of the housing 22 by the cover 24.

Turning now to FIG. 21, another exemplary embodiment of a valve coverplate assembly in accordance with the present disclosure is illustratedand identified generally by reference numeral 120. This embodiment issimilar in many respects to the embodiment shown and described inconnection with FIGS. 2-19 with the exception being that the cover andreinforcement element are integrated into a single, unitary component.Accordingly, similar reference numerals are used with a “prime” todenote features common to both the valve cover plate assembly 120 andthe valve cover plate assembly 20.

The valve cover plate assembly 120 includes a housing 22′, a cover 24′and a reinforcement member 124. The reinforcement member 124 in thisembodiment is integrated into the cover 24′. In some embodiments, anovermolding process can be used to integrate the reinforcement member124 and the cover 24′. The reinforcement member 124 includes three tabs128 to facilitate rotation of the cover 24′ from the unlocked positionto the locked position. As will be appreciated, the tabs 128 generallyonly allow the cover 24′ to be easily engaged for rotation towards thelocked position. Reverse rotation is not easily performed due to angledsurfaces 132 of the tabs 128.

It should be appreciated that in all other respects, the valve coverplate assembly 120 is similar to the valve cover plate assembly 20 ofFIGS. 2-19 and can be assembled in a similar fashion (e.g., engagementof snap arms with retention flanges, etc.)

FIG. 22 shows a relay valve 202 having a snap fit cover assembly 204 inaccordance with the present disclosure. In this embodiment, the snap fitcover assembly 202 generally comprises a cover 208 adapted to bereceived in an opening of a housing 212 of the relay valve 202. Acircumferential side wall 216 of the cover 208 includes an annulargroove 220 in which a sealing element 224 is disposed for sealingagainst a circumferential inner surface of the housing 212.

With additional reference to FIG. 23, it will be appreciated that thehousing 212 includes a plurality of retention flanges 228 while thecover 208 includes a plurality of lobes 232. As will be appreciated, thecover 208 can be nested in the housing 212 in a first angularorientation (e.g., unlocked position) and rotated to the locked positionshown in FIG. 23 whereat the lobes 232 are retained by the retentionflanges 228. Anti-rotation tabs 240 of the cover 208 restrict rotationof the cover 208 from the locked position. The anti-rotation tabs 240are flexible and configured to deflect radially inwardly to clear theretention flanges 228 during installation of the cover 208. Theanti-rotation tabs are configured to be received in a slot 242 betweenadjacent retention flanges 228 to restrict rotation of the cover 208 ineither direction from the locked position.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 22 and 23, the cover 208 includes a pluralityof reinforcement members in the form of ribs 244 extending between acircumferential outer sidewall 248 and a central hub 252. Thesereinforcement members are integrally formed as part of the cover 208 andprovide the cover 208 with suitable stiffness and strength to resisttypical operating pressures of the valve 202. The multiple ribs 244 andother structures of the cover 208, however, create multiple receptaclesthat can accumulate moisture and/or dirt when installed in a vehicle.Freezing of such accumulated moisture can damage the cover 208.

With reference to FIG. 24, relay valve 302 is shown including a cap 304for preventing water and/or debris ingress. It will be appreciated thatthe cap 204 is particularly useful for use in connection with the valvecover 208 of FIGS. 22 and 23 which has multiple receptacles formed bythe reinforcement ribs 244. However, it will be appreciated that the cap304 can be used with any embodiment of the present disclosure wheremoisture/contaminant ingress protection is desired.

The cap 304 generally includes a main body 306 adapted to be closelyreceived over a top of the valve cover (not shown). First and secondtabs 312 extend from the main body 306 (only one tab 312 visible in FIG.24). The tabs 312 are adapted to engage a shoulder 316 on an exterior ofthe valve housing 316 to retain the cap 304. Each tab 312 is received ina gap 318 between a ramp 320 and stop 324 such that rotation of the cap304 is restricted. Ramp 320 is provided for urging the tab 312 radiallyoutwardly when the cap 304 is rotated during installation until the tab312 snaps into gap 318.

Turning to FIGS. 25-33, and initially to FIG. 25, another exemplaryvalve assembly 400 in accordance with the present disclosure isillustrated. The valve assembly 400 generally includes a valve housing404 having an aperture 406 opening to an exterior of the housing 404 incommunication with an internal chamber IC (see FIGS. 32 and 34) of thevalve housing 404. The aperture 406 has a plurality of circumferentiallyspaced retention flanges 408 extending radially inwardly towards acenter of the aperture 406. Each retention flange 408, together with ashoulder 409 of the housing 404, form a respective radially inwardlyopening slot S. A subcomponent 410 is configured to be received in theaperture 406.

The subcomponent 410 generally includes a body 412 of a generallycylindrical shape adapted to be closely received into the aperture 406of the valve housing 404. The body 412 supports seal elements 416 a and416 b (e.g., o-rings) as well as a diaphragm 420. In this embodiment,the valve assembly 400 is a dual check valve and the diaphragm 420functions to restrict or permit flow from a pair of supply ports S1/S2to an outlet port OP (see FIGS. 32 and 34). It will be appreciated thatthe subcomponent 410 can be adapted to support a wide variety of devices(e.g., check valves or other flow control devices), or can be used as aplug for closing and sealing a bore or other opening of the housing 404.

As will be described in further detail below, the body 412 is configuredto be inserted axially into the aperture 406 in a first orientation(e.g., an unlocked position) and then rotated to a second orientation(e.g., a locked position) to thereby secure the body 412 within thevalve housing 404. As such, the body 412 includes a plurality of lobes424 that are adapted to be received under the retention flanges 408(e.g., in slots S) when the body 412 is in the locked position, and thebody 412 further includes a plurality of cantilevered arms 428 that areadapted to engage respective surfaces of the retention flanges 408 torestrict rotation of the body 412 from the locked position towards theunlocked position.

FIGS. 26-28 illustrate various views of the subcomponent 410. In theillustrated embodiment, the body 412 includes four lobes 424. Lobes 424generally extend radially outwardly from a main portion of the body 412and define therebetween slots 432. It should be appreciated that more orfewer lobes 424 can be provided depending on a given application.

The exemplary subcomponent 410 further includes two cantilevered arms428 extending from respective lobes 424. In general, the cantileveredarms 428 extend in tangential fashion from a radially inner base portion434 of a respective lobe 424 towards an adjacent lobe 424 across a slot432. A distal end 438 of each cantilevered arm 428 is generally alignedwith a radially outer extent of the adjacent lobe 424 (e.g., alignedalong the outer circumference of the lobes 424). Best shown in FIG. 29,the cantilevered arms 428 extend axially beyond the lobes 424. As willbe described in more detail below, each cantilevered arm 428 isconfigured to deflect radially inwardly during rotation of the body 412from the unlocked position to the locked position. Once the body 412 isin the locked position, the cantilevered arms 428 return to the positionshown in FIGS. 26-28 and engage respective surfaces of the retentionflanges 408 to thereby restrict reverse rotation of the body 412 to theunlocked position.

With reference to FIG. 30, the valve housing 404 is illustrated. Asshown, two of the retention flanges 408 have a generally circular shapedradially inner wall 442 while the other two retention flanges 408 have aprofiled or shaped radially inner wall 446. It should be appreciatedthat the profiled radially inner walls 446 are provided to engage withrespective cantilevered arms 428 during rotation of the body 412 fromthe unlocked position to the locked position. The profiled radiallyinner walls 446 gradually urge the cantilevered arms 428 radiallyinwardly as the body 412 is rotated towards the locked position untilthe distal ends 438 of the cantilevered arms 428 clear respectiveretention flanges 408 and resiliently return to their undeflected statewithin respective slots 432.

The action of the cantilevered arms 428 with respect to the profiledradially inner walls 446 of the retention flanges 408 is betterunderstood with reference to FIGS. 31-34. In FIG. 31, the subcomponent410 is illustrated inserted axially into the aperture 406 of the valvehousing 404 in an unlocked position. In this position, the lobes 424 ofthe body 412 are received between respective adjacent retention flanges408. The distal ends 438 of the cantilevered arms 428 are positionedadjacent the profiled radially inner walls 446 of the retention flanges408.

With further reference to FIGS. 33 and 34, the subcomponent 410 isrotated to the locked position. In the illustrated embodiment, theangular displacement between the unlocked and locked positions of thesubcomponent 410 is approximately 40 degrees. As will be appreciated,the lobes 424 of the body 412 are received underneath the retentionflanges 408 within slots S. The distal ends 438 of the cantilevered arms428 are engaged with side surfaces 450 of respective retention flanges408 preventing reverse rotation of the subcomponent 410 to the unlockedposition. It should further be appreciated that radially outwardlyextending stop arms 454 of the body 412 prevent over rotation of thesubcomponent 410 beyond the locked position. The stop arms 454 areconfigured to engage surfaces 456 of adjacent retention flanges 408 andtogether with the cantilevered arms 428 lock the subcomponent 410against rotation. To this end, the circumferential distance between astop surface and a distal end 438 of the immediately adjacentcantilevered arm 428 is approximately equal to the circumferentialspacing of the retention flanges 408.

Angled flats 460 on the distal ends 438 of the cantilevered arms 428 areconfigured to match the angle of the side surfaces 450. As such, itshould now be understood that once rotated to the locked position, thesubcomponent 410 generally cannot be counterrotated to the unlockedposition without damaging one or more of the cantilevered arms 428.

Returning to FIG. 26, the body 412 includes a pair of recesses 462adapted to receive respective portions of a tool (not shown) to effectrotation of the subcomponent between the unlocked and locked positions.

As compared to prior art approaches that employ fasteners and/or snaprings for retaining subcomponents within a housing, aspects of thepresent disclosure provide a solution that is more easily assembled andrequires fewer parts. In addition, aspects of the present disclosureeliminate the need for precision machining of the housing that would berequired for an assembly employing a snap ring retainer. In certainexamples, the housing 404 can be a cast structure wherein such castingincludes the formation of the aperture 406, retention flanges 408 etc.By eliminating the need for precision machining of a snap retainergroove in the housing, manufacturing of the housing is simplifiedleading to lower overall costs.

The exemplary embodiment has been described with reference to thepreferred embodiments. Obviously, modifications and alterations willoccur to others upon reading and understanding the preceding detaileddescription. It is intended that the exemplary embodiment be construedas including all such modifications and alterations insofar as they comewithin the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A valve assembly comprising: a valvehousing having an internal chamber, the valve housing having an apertureopening to an exterior of the housing in communication with the internalchamber and a plurality of circumferentially spaced retention flangessurrounding the aperture, each retention flange at least partiallyforming a radially inwardly opening slot; and a subcomponent adapted tobe received in the aperture, the subcomponent having a body insertableaxially into the aperture and rotatable from an unlocked position to alocked position; wherein the subcomponent includes at least oneanti-rotation component adapted to engage an adjacent retention flangein the locked position to restrict return rotation of the subcomponentto the unlocked position; wherein the body further comprises a pluralityof radially outwardly extending lobes, the plurality of lobes adapted toextend radially outwardly in between adjacent retention flanges when thebody is in the unlocked position, and to be received in respectiveradially inwardly opening slots when the subcomponent is in the lockedposition thereby restricting axial movement of the body relative to thevalve housing, whereby the at least one anti-rotation component securesthe body in the locked position by restricting rotation of the body tothe unlocked position when the at least one anti-rotation component isengaged with the adjacent retention flange.
 2. The valve assembly ofclaim 1, wherein the at least one anti-rotation component includes acantilevered arm extending in tangential fashion from a radially innerportion of a respective lobe, the cantilevered arm adapted toresiliently deflect radially inwardly when the body is rotated from theunlocked position to the locked position as a distal end of thecantilevered arm impinges on a first side of the adjacent retentionflange, and to return to an undeflected state when the distal end of thecantilevered arm is rotated past the adjacent retention flange such thatthe distal end engages an opposite side surface of the adjacentretention flange in the locked position.
 3. The valve assembly of claim2, wherein the distal end of the cantilevered arm includes an angledflat for engaging the opposite side surface of the adjacent retentionflange, wherein the opposite side surface has a corresponding angle suchthat the angled flat abuttingly engages the opposite side surface. 4.The valve assembly of claim 3, wherein at least one of the distal end ofthe cantilevered arm or the first side surface of the adjacent retentionflange includes a sloped surface having an angle to assist in urging thecantilevered arm radially inwardly.
 5. The valve assembly of claim 4,wherein the distal end of the cantilevered arm is aligned with acircumferential extent of the plurality of lobes when in an unflexedstate.
 6. The valve assembly of claim 5, wherein the distal end of thecantilevered arm is closer to an adjacent lobe than the lobe from whichthe cantilevered arm extends.
 7. The valve assembly of claim 1, whereinthe body further comprises a stop surface adapted to engage a surface ofthe valve housing when the body is in the locked position to restrictfurther rotation of the body beyond the locked position.
 8. The valveassembly of claim 1, further comprising at least one sealing elementsupported by the subcomponent.
 9. The valve assembly of claim 1, whereinthe body is a unitary one-piece structure.
 10. The valve assembly ofclaim 1, wherein the subcomponent includes a double check valve.
 11. Asubcomponent for an associated valve assembly having a housing with anaperture opening to an exterior thereof and a plurality of retentionflanges adjacent the aperture, the subcomponent comprising: a bodyinsertable axially into the aperture of the associated valve assemblyand rotatable from an unlocked position to a locked position; whereinthe subcomponent includes at least one anti-rotation component adaptedto engage an adjacent retention flange of the associated valve assemblyin the locked position to restrict return rotation of the body to theunlocked position; wherein the body further comprises a plurality ofradially outwardly extending lobes, the plurality of lobes adapted toextend radially outwardly in between adjacent retention flanges of theassociated valve assembly when the body is axially inserted into theaperture in the unlocked position, and to be received in respectiveradially inwardly opening slots of at least partially defined by theretention flanges of the associated valve assembly when the body is inthe locked position thereby restricting axial movement of the bodyrelative to the housing of the associated valve assembly.
 12. Thesubcomponent of claim 11, wherein the at least one anti-rotation featureincludes a cantilevered arm extending in tangential fashion from aradially inner portion of a respective lobe, the cantilevered armadapted to resiliently deflect radially inwardly when the body isrotated from the unlocked position to the locked position as a distalend of the cantilevered arm impinges on a first side of an adjacentretention flange of the associated valve assembly, and to return to anundeflected state when the distal end of the cantilevered arm is rotatedpast the adjacent retention flange of the associated valve assembly suchthat the distal end engages an opposite side surface of the adjacentretention flange in the locked position.
 13. The valve assembly of claim12, wherein the distal end of the cantilevered arm includes an angledflat.
 14. The valve assembly of claim 12, wherein the distal end of thecantilevered arm is aligned with an outer circumferential extent of theplurality of lobes when in an unflexed state.
 15. The valve assembly ofclaim 14, wherein the distal end of the cantilevered arm is closer to anadjacent lobe than the lobe from which the cantilevered arm extends. 16.The valve assembly of claim 12, wherein the body further comprises astop surface adapted to engage a surface of the housing of theassociated valve assembly when the body is in the locked position torestrict further rotation of the body beyond the locked position. 17.The valve assembly of claim 11, wherein the body is a unitary one-piecestructure, and wherein the subcomponent includes a double check valve.18. A method of assembling a valve assembly comprising: providing avalve housing having an internal chamber, the valve housing having anaperture opening to an exterior of the housing in communication with theinternal chamber and a plurality of circumferentially spaced retentionflanges surrounding the aperture, each retention flange at leastpartially defining a radially inwardly opening slot; and providing asubcomponent adapted to be received in the aperture, the subcomponenthaving a body insertable axially into the aperture and rotatable from anunlocked position to a locked position; nesting the subcomponent in thehousing in a first orientation corresponding to an unlocked position;and rotating the subcomponent to a second orientation corresponding to alocked position; wherein the subcomponent includes at least oneanti-rotation component adapted to engage an adjacent retention flangein the locked position to restrict return rotation of the subcomponentto the unlocked position; wherein the body further comprises a pluralityof radially outwardly extending lobes, the plurality of lobes adapted toextend radially outwardly in between adjacent retention flanges when thebody is in the unlocked position, and to be received in respectiveradially inwardly opening slots when the subcomponent is in the lockedposition thereby restricting axial movement of the body relative to thevalve housing, whereby the at least one anti-rotation component securesthe body in the locked position by restricting rotation of the body tothe unlocked position when the at least one anti-rotation component isengaged with the adjacent retention flange.